Phired Almond
by persona-alacarte
Summary: Charlie and his crew are in Romania, doing what they do best: Hunting down dragons. When Laurelle joins the team, her fiery temper creates many problems, and while the dragon sleeps, the world wakes...
1. Dedicated to Us

A/N: This is my second attempt at writing a fanfiction, but still, I'm quite new at this. If you read my other fanfiction, you'd realize that my style of writing differs quite considerably.

Please, if you have not read my other one, do not read it, because I have abandoned the other, though I assure you I will try my hardest not to do so for this. Anyway, for this

fanfic, I wanted to do a Charlie/OC one, because no one really knows much about Charlie and that's a pretty good advantage because I can make up whatever I want and still get

away with it. The characters in this story are modeled after some of my acquaintances in real life, but they will not be mentioned by name. The protagonists (yes, with an's' and no

other implications or connotations) basically have a lot of differences, and it's difficult to merge them, but hey, opposites attract! Now, **on with the story**!

Chapter one: Dedicated to Us. (A more interesting way to say introduction.)

Laurelle Kaye: A rodeo for me.

And here we go again. Start from scratch and hope for the best. That's always the case isn't it? This probably is my tenth or twelfth job (I've lost count) and frankly, I'm getting

sick of this uprooting-yourself-and-get-to-another-country phase. It **is **rather annoying and tiring. I want to stay put now, maybe settle down in the countryside and all that

codswaddle. Pretty difficult at the moment, seeing that I up-and-go twice every year. Believe me, it may seem fun at first, but migrating across the oceans twice every year is twice

as exhausting as doing it once. Duh, everyone knows how to do math.

Anyway, that's not the point, since I'm talking in a roundabout manner ant that's probably a circle or an oval or-I'm a rather mixed-up girl aren't I? Okay, it's time to introduce

myself (in proper English if you may.) Seriously though, don't you think these break-the-ice games are a tad bit tedious? I mean, I don't **actually** need to know you like eating mint

ice-cream (I do), or **you** like pink underwear (I don't, believe me). Right, before the author whacks me on the head ("Ouch!")(They hurt, those hits, they really do), I better tell you

about me.

Since I can't have you **hear **it, I'm just going to tell you what sound to 'hear' and leave it up to your imagination to decide. This is the part where I heave a great big sigh, and start

to speak slowly and clearly (like everybody's oral teachers tell them to, "and with _great_ expression, mind you!"). My name is Laurelle Kaye but DON'T, don't call me Laurelle or

Rellie or some warped nickname derived from Laurelle, like Lee-lee or something. Someone in France called me that once, believe it or not. Call me those names, and some terribly

fwightening insects (or Doxys if I'm lucky and you're not) will find its way into your head, or any other part of your body. I'm not particular, really. My REAL name, and the one I

adhere to, is Laurie. Just, plain Laurie. Not Lauro, or Laura or any other ridiculous names. I am going to be nineteen in about a month and ten or eleven days. You can't really be

certain, since there are so many different time zones in the world now. To make things simpler, I think I want to round it up. Yes, so that becomes…eleven days. A **month** and

eleven days. What else do you want to know? I come from the good ol' US of A, otherwise known as the country of liberty. But to me, liberty in the United States is saying things

other people don't want to hear, and not get _legally _punished for it. Of course, there will be people who don't like what you say, and will beat you up for it. Isn't it all the same

then, don't you get punished **anyway**? I don't understand the Ministry of Magic there, and I hear the Muggle system is that way too. Anyway, technically, I'm not **from **America. I

mean, I went **to **Romania **from **Greece, flippin' cold, that journey was. I was born in America.

If you're interested to know what countries I've been to, here they are, quite fascinating, they are: England (dreadfully glum weather), America (of course…), France (Eiffel Tower

was bleeding **tall**!), Spain (Land of the dances), China (That place needs a good clean-up), Canada (I love the maple leaves, I used to magic one into my hair every morning),

Russia ( fun, just **pure fun**) and now, Romania.

I hear that this time, I'll be catching dragons and taming the. Whoopee. That's fantastic, having fire roasting and singing my skin to a crisp and simmering my blood. Now you may

ask, why do I travel so much, if I don't like it? To everybody else I'd say that it's because of the experience, but I'm talking to myself now, and maybe to a dozen other people out

there, who don't know me, so this is why: I need the dosh. The green. The cash, you know… I didn't exactly grow up in a fairytale castle, and have a princess lifestyle. Quite the

pauper actually. But no matter, I just try to get what I can. I already graduated from an Auror's Academy already, but when my dad saw the starting payment (horribly meager), he

refused to allow me to continue. So now, I'm in Romania and I had to practically beg my father to let me come here. The pay is alright, I hope, but the risk is dreadful! (According

to good old dad.)

Well, I don't think this place might be too bad, but I heard this Mouldy-mort guy is giving a lot of trouble. He'd better not mess with me. I'm a qualified Auror **and **I know kick-

boxing.

Right, I think this is all for me, you'll find out more later. Right? Right.

Charlie Weasley: Sonatina le Charlie

I've been here for a long time already, but I think I still love this place, can never grow sick of what you find irresistible can you? No you can't. Well, I heard we're getting a new

import today. That's what we call new helpers, believe it or not, imports. It kind of makes sense though. I hope mum owled some chocolate chip cookies over, I love those devilled

things. I've been asked (if that's what you call demanding) to sum up my life for readers. What readers? I don't even know who I'm writing for. Anyway, I better do it, or little Miss

Prissy will** definitely **intercept Mum's owl, and _sayonara _chocolate chips. That thought, is too horrible to even contemplate.

Right now, I feel that I'm fifteen, but I know that I'm twenty-one, shame that is. But what did they say…oh yes, Old in flesh, young at heart.

I think I'm supposed to tell you my...what's that? Pet peeves and delights. Okay, if you want to play that way, I like to… eat, eat, and eat. Oh, and play Quidditch of course. I

happened to be one of the **best **seekers in my alma mater, Hogwarts, you know. I can still be brilliant though, of course, the old guy's still got it. Well, twenty-one's not old, but it

feels like it. Anyway, that's about all I like. Yeah, the author is giving me a right good scolding about how the import took **ages **to do it right, and how I'm not putting enough effort

in. Yes, yes, whatever. I hate writing in any case. I don't **care** about you, import, so there! Forget it, I can be really mature at times, I'm just snappy because Mum's cookies aren't

here yet. Wait a moment, Miss Prissy is whispering something in my ear…hold on…Oh. Merlin. _She has my cookies!!!_ This, people, is **not **good. Cooooooookie… ( A/N: Think

the squirrel-thing in Over the Hedge.)

Goodbye, I want my cookie, and good riddance to writing, we must save the earth anyw-

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	2. Constant Escapade

A**/N: Yes, I'm back again. I hope you guys liked my first chapter, but anyway, please REVIEW!! Thanks. If there's one thing I appreciate it is reviews. Right, I am **

**going to write in each of the person's view, but it's going to be past tense, so don't get mixed up, yeah? Alright. I notice I'm one of the few to write a Charlie story, **

**but never mind. Okay, back to the story, since I've nothing much to say now, just that I hope you will review. (Actually, the word 'review' sounds funny now, the **

**way a word always does after you say it for a number of times, don't you think?)**

**And, thanks to Do you know Emily Davison, I decided to bold my author's note. Tell me if it is better, thanks! Well, I hope I can publish this by today (12th **

**November 2006) because I'm currently extremely harried, preparing for my piano solo recital, so please bear with me if I don't publish in time! Back to the story **

**then! Oh, and for this chapter, some of the details are…ahem…vivid, so if you feel squeamish about descriptive details in the loo, please, skip the chapter and ask **

**me to give you a summary on the review page. And, I'm sorry if I offend any Greeks here, but I just needed a place, it could have been any **

**other country, I do not mean to offend.**

Chapter 2: Constant Escapade

Laurelle Kaye

I sighed. Perfect. In a lonely world, with hardly anyone with me, no one to talk to, and hovering between time. It gave my head certain dizziness, the transfer of energy. The stench

was making me gag, and the sight of the dirty environs disgusted and repelled me. In the toilet. That was where I was stuck. Funny place, wouldn't you think, but true. Apparently,

the magical community in Greece had no choice but to send me to Romania through a toilet bowl. No, I was not going through the pipes, Thank Merlin for that, since there might be

things quite unpresentable, but the bowl was a Portkey. And let me assure you, the Muggles of Greece were not keeping their lavatories clean.

That was not too bad, you might think, enduring the odor for a couple if minutes, then be blissfully free, but I was not one to enjoy such luck. The passageway had jammed, because

some git had decided to Apparate from England to New York and in the process, had split himself proper. Now, I had no idea why this should stop me from getting to Romania,

but they blocked off the Portkey, and the pitiful me was trapped. The worst part was: I couldn't move, because the Ministry might choose to re-activate the Portkey anytime in

thirty minutes, and if I weren't there, then _au revoir_ to Romania. And what made the situation a few thousand times shoddier, was that I was not allowed to use magic since it was

in the 'presence of Muggles' and 'anyway, we don't want anything interfering with the Portkey', so 'kindly put away your wands and wait patiently. We thank you for your

cooperation.' Those dudes at the Ministry really had no clue did they? Yes, sympathize with me; mourn with me, while I slowly wasted away in that diminutive cubicle, gradually

dying from the lack of oxygen…

Hey.Wait a minute, I could feel wooziness in my head; maybe the stink seeped poison into my blood already. Bye dad, bye Romania, I'm sure the dragons would have gotten to me

anyway…

Suddenly, I felt a familiar tug near my belly, no, I didn't think it was diarrhea, nor gastric, it seemed like…the Portkey was working! Yes, Thank Merlin, oh yes! I knelt down before

the bowl, not paying the slightest attention to the damp toilet rolls and rancid pong of dried up urine, since I would be out there like magic (and magic it was) in a matter of split

seconds. I grinned euphorically, even as I felt the squashy wetness beneath my knees. I was going to be out! Out of this hellhole, whee! The only thing puzzling me was: the Portkey

was taking an abnormally long time just to suck me in.

My stomach lurched abruptly. That didn't seem very good…I could feel something in my gut, a seeming curdle of my intestines, like the juices in it were planning to spill out, and

they were recoiling, hissing and writhing in my abdomen. I grimaced in pain, my stomach enveloped by my hands. The ache was awful, like a thousand white-hot knives plunging

into my innards and shredding them to pieces repeatedly. I gasped in pain and recognition. Only one thing made me hurt that way: Gastric.

Wasting no time, I rummaged through my trunk, (which was carefully placed on a ledge above the toilet bowl) and finally dug out a packet of Jacob's wholemeal biscuits, which my

boss in Greece insisted I buy, because 'it eez de phenomenal inventeeon of de new uneeverze'. The underlying creatures in my stomach, monstrous or minute, growled and roared

even more, in protest of the strike my mouth was determined to uphold. Hands trembling slightly, I tore open the pack, and grainy square crackers spilled out. Cramming a few into

my mouth, I took a swig of some Butterbeer I brought along, and sighed in relief as the barbaric animals in my belly calmed down, with gentle tides now washing upon the shores of

my stomach. Just for safe measure, I cautiously plucked another yellow-gold biscuit out of the crackly wrapper and gnawed on it, while warily storing the rest of them in my jeans

pocket. I felt something slightly sticky when I dusted my fingers across the back of my pants. Having a sickening sense of dread at what I suspected might be the mystery object; I

slowly brought my hand forward, fearing the answer. When I received it, I nearly retched. Frothy, foamy spit covered my hand. I screamed in revulsion and repulsion. Imagine some

person's dirty discharge in your hands, and bubbles bursting while you're at it, and then tell me how you'd have felt. I shuddered, repulsed by-

"Jesus Christ! What's it with Greeks and bloody screaming? I come here for a flipping good holiday with my boyfriend and I have to put up which his old witch's cackling and now

in the _toilet _it haunts me too?! Will you shut up?" Some hysterical woman screeched. Merlin, I was _that_ loud? I guessed 'oops' was an understatement, and 'sorry' would make

her ramble on more, so I wisely chose to keep quiet. After a little while, I could hear the lady stalk off, muttering under her breath about those 'bloody Greeks'.

Then, I felt another yank in my tummy. I groaned in dismay, I hoped the gastric wasn't acting up again. I'd thrown the rest of my packets (of biscuits) away, only leaving those few

pieces from just now. Somehow, though, this time seemed slightly different from gastric, no, no, not diarrhea, but something else. I frowned, puzzled. Then, my head shot up,

understanding breaking out across my face like dawn's first light. The Portkey! Haha! I grinned with newfound glee. I stood up, slightly unsteadily, blood finally rushing through my

legs. I lurched towards the toilet bowl, cackling like a maniac. And rushed headlong into the murky water, just as the Portkey sucked me in…

Damn it.

**So, how was it? I hope it was alright, because I rewrote this particular chapter 3 times. Mental blocks are sickening. anyway, there's a little button down there, so...press it and REVIEW! Bye!**


	3. Problemetical Import

**A/N: Yes, I'm back again, and this has been fun writing! I mean, no one really knows the truth about Charlie and his gang, so anything goes! My friend said that **

**he's impressed that I have the patience to write, and I thank you! Haha, in that case, this chapter is dedicated to you and another friend, you'll know who you are, **

**Kari, Coraine's best ever friend! Please please try to review everyone else…thanks. Alright, this will be in Charlie's perspective, and yeah. Like normal, I don't **

**have that much to say, only that you enjoy the story! **

**Thanks again to Do you know Emily Davison, you've been a great help!**

Chapter 3: Problematical Import

Charlie Weasley

"Urgh, what's **taking **the import so long? Maybe she had to travel through the toilet pipes to get here…" my work partner, Jodie, groaned in frustration. I snorted in amusement;

sometimes she had **such** a wild imagination. I didn't need ridiculous notions filling my brain; I was quite content with the large chocolate chip cookie heavenly floating down in front

of me in my mind…

"Did you just go to the…what's that? Oh yeah, the dentist? Because I swear, I never noticed you dripping saliva before." Jodie quirked an eyebrow, nodding towards the thin,

silver trail of secretion dribbling down the left side of my mouth. I hurriedly produced a silver handkerchief from my jeans pocket, and immediately rectified the problem. I would

**have **to keep my inner fantasies to myself more. The minute people knew I stored chocolate chip cookies under my bed, I was in big, big trouble, those people were like tigers, and

they would pounce on my cookies like beasts on a rampage. Jodie was still staring at me queerly, and I knew that she could fabricate a story out of thin air. (Like the time she

threatened to tell the other workers I enjoyed acting like a woman when she found a low-cut dress on my side of the room, since the two of us shared rooms. And the worst bit

was, the dress was hers, and she **swore **that she'd tell the world that I stole it if I didn't ask Fred and George to get her a can of the 'canary-thingys' the next time I owled them.)

So I gave her a sheepish grin and said that my razor had accidentally cut a little too deep and it only didn't hurt if I arranged my face that way. (I know, I shock myself with my

brilliance too.) She gazed at me suspiciously for a moment, but shrugged quizzically and turned away after a moment or two. I mentally deflated with relief.

BANG! The two of us were startled by a loud sound, and we stumbled back a bit, looking around us. When flying pieces of grass and dirt had stopped assaulting our faces, we

saw that there was a terribly dirty girl kneeling in the middle of the mess. Her head was bowed, and her tangled hair covered her face like an ebony curtain. Oh no, I thought

subconsciously, this one's a weeper. Then, feeling slightly guilty for sizing a person up so quickly, I mentally reprimanded myself. I was about to approach the girl, to help her up,

but she suddenly swung her head around, and we could see she was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Urm, are we actually allowed to use magic in this part? Because I'm not sure. I think I need to tidy up a little. Don't you think so?" She had a surprisingly low voice for someone

with such a good face. And obviously, she was a little…slow in the head as well. Jodie and I exchanged skeptical glances; how would she survive in a dog-eat-dog world like the

one we lived in? Only the strongest survived, and the impeded ones got…ahem…left behind. Jodie nodded slowly, as if talking to someone on the edge of a mental breakdown.

The girl beamed at us, hopped to her feet, and with a flick of her wrist, all the grime vanished. I was caught by surprise, actually. Her hair was not black, rather bistre, a dark shade

of brown, which shone gold in the sunlight. She didn't have the typical 'almond shaped eyes', but two arcs carved deep into her flesh, one concave, another convex, both dipping

down to meet just an inch above the bridge of her nose. When I took a closer look, I realized that her pupil was not the standard brown or black combination; instead it was a

green metallic color with specks of gold and rainbow, ringed by a thick layer of black. Her eyebrows were a perplexing brownish-gold color, never seen before. Like a well-baked

cookie…I thought dreamily. Her skin was fair, looked nearly translucent, but then I was never a good one for seeing colors.

A snap of fingers and a very annoyed female voice brought me out of my daze. I shook my head a little to clear the fog, and saw one irritated Jodie crossing her arms and tapping

her feet, and a curious stranger tilting her head while looking at me inquisitively. I gave them both a hangdog, guilty look and grinned. I didn't want to upset two highly

temperamental females.

"Hey, my name is Laurie, I just came from Greece, so help me out here, right?" Laurie stuck out her hand, swept a strand of hair away from her face and smiled. I gave her my

huckster smile, and took her hand. For a petite girl like her, her hold was really, quite firm. I released her, and bent down to pick up her suitcases.

"Oh no no no, I can do that myself, no worries!" She had a peculiar accent, like one muddled up, of different origins. She jumped over a puddle, or at least attempted to. Within a

second, she tripped over a twig and she landed facedown in the muddy water. I could hear a nasal groan, but I was not sure from which female, until I saw a string of bubbles from

the water. I heard Jodie mutter something that sounded suspiciously like 'nutcase', and I stifled a laugh. This girl was one big klutz.

She bounded up again, using a drying charm to help herself, and struggled to get to my side to take her luggage. I managed to dissuade her from carrying it herself; for fear that she

fell again, this time taking cases with her. Finally we started off, with Jodie muttering inaudible snide comments. I attempted to make small talk, as we trudged towards the

compound.

"Well, Laurie, is that right? Where are you from? You don't **seem **much like a Greek to me." I asked, interested. Beside me, Jodie mumbled something like, 'that's because

lunatics don't usually sound like anything.' I suppressed my mirth again, intentionally stepping on Jodie's foot to shut her up. I was sure that Laurie didn't hear her, because she

started to answer.

"That's because I'm **not **from Greece, I mean, I'm from America, but I went England, France, Spain, China, Canada and Russia, so I guess my accent is slightly funny. And the girl

next to the boy, I heard that and technically, lunatics **do **sound like something because they actually talk, and **clearly** at that, not rambling under their breath like they're about to

drop dead if someone hears them." Laurie replied placidly, blinking at Jodie. This time, I couldn't help but snigger; these two would be fast friends if they didn't hate each other

already. Surprisingly, Jodie laughed as well, and it didn't seem forced at all. I guessed that Jodie liked someone who stood up to her.

"Good one, Laurie, and my name is Jodie, the boy next to me is Charlie, and he's a bit of a tag-along if you don't mind." Jodie smiled genuinely and bent forward to look at Laurie.

I pretended to be mock-outraged, and stuck my nose in the air, to which Laurie retorted, "Are you sure you're not a girl, because only women stuck in male bodies would do that."

I smacked a hand to my head, and Jodie threw her head back and roared with laughter. Oh whoopee, two girls ganged up on me; that was what I **just** needed for 2 kilometres

back to the compound. Someone shoot me.

Unfortunately, I spoke that out loud, and the two girls complied by spurting water through their wands at my face. Trying to distract them, I asked Laurie.

"Laurie, that can't be your real name, can it? What's your real name? And why did you go to so many places? Do you like dragons? Have you even **seen **a dragon?" I shot off

questions, desperate that she would answer them. She gawked at me for a while, and answered hesitantly, like talking to a madman.

"What's this, the Spanish Inquisition? (This elicited a fresh round of giggles from Jodie.) Anyway, my real name is Laurelle Kaye, but you'd do better not to call me that because

girls have rather heavy mood swings, and I trust you don't want to be caught in one of them. That and I'm sure you don't want a bump on your head for the rest of-oh let's see-

your life? Yeah, and unless you count the little furry things my Mom gave me when was younger, I can safely say I've never seen, or met a dragon face to face. Does that answer

your questions or do you have more to slaughter me with?" She answered smartly.

I rolled my eyes; must be her time of the month; that explained her crabbiness. Either that or she was naturally made to be the goddess of crankiness for the rest of eternity. Jodie

didn't seem to think so. Suck-up.

Don't make me live with this, I beg you Merlin. I'd do anything to get away from these people, ANYTHING! Okay, other than really disgusting things, but I meant that figuratively,

so don't take up my offer.

We continued to plod through the thick vegetation, the two females joking (about me) and getting to know each other. Imagine this, guys, traipsing through trees which cling to your

clothes, and on top of that, have two nutcases beside you chattering a thousand miles per hour. Then you'll know what torture really is. Never mind, life has its ups and downs

sometimes! This is the pit bottom; you can't go any lower. I was just waiting for the building to come into sight, so that I could flee from the monsters beside me. We did not want to

Apparate there, because the sounds might disturb the dragons' sleep, whereas in the building it would be possible, since we soundproofed it.

Tramping for a little more distance and…yes! There it was! My heaven!

Thank Merlin.

**Alright, I know that there's hardly any action yet, but I need to set up the well, setting before I start the real deal. This chapter kind of didn't really go anywhere, **

**but it introduced the characters, could you tell me if it's a little confusing or anything? Thanks, once again, review!**

**Signing off (and willing you to press the button),**

**persona-alacarte **


	4. Python's Secrets

**A/N: I'm so disappointed. I mean, I try so hard to make my chapters long, but they all end up turning out really, really, short, and I hate that! I can't seem to put **

**any action into my story. Ah, enough of mumbling and grumbling, back to the story. As the pattern goes, this time it is Laurelle's point of view, but it will turn to **

**Jodie's later on. I can't include any thanks to reviewers yet, since I'm writing this five minutes after I wrote Chapter 3, so I'll try to include them in the next **

**chapter. This will be a really, really confusing chapter, because new, dark ideas will be introduced. And, there will be some uncertainty, I know that in the first **

**chapter, Laurelle made fun of Voldermort, but that's a mistake, she really knows her stuff, read to understand. Alright, start reading and hopefully you like it! My **

**sister kindly informed me that it was rather annoying the way I always asked people to review so I won't say anything. (Zips mouth.)But you know what you should **

**do?...**

Chapter 4: Python Secrets

Laurelle Kaye

I had to admit, the welcome I received was nothing short of warm. I mean, Jodie was kind of cold at first, muttering things about me, but I expected it, I mean, who wouldn't be

aggravated if their boyfriend received a complete stranger so earnestly? Those two had chemistry, I could feel it already.

The guy, Charlie Weasley, was cute, I could tell. He had that charming hair, which just about makes every girl swoon, and when he smiled, I felt blinded by his teeth. He was

dressed in a black shirt, baggy and big, and khaki slacks, but he looked pretty delectable. I mean I didn't spend my life looking for well, lookers, but I wasn't exactly completely

immune to the charisma some people exuded. I pitied him actually; I was taking out my anger of falling into that horrid Greek toilet bowl on him. I couldn't help it though; he seemed

like such a 'bully-able' person. He was quite quiet actually, I mean, he hardly spoke, other than firing off a few questions to shut me up.

Then, there was Jodie. Jodie was cool. I thought I'd met a lot of people like her, the stuck-up snobbish kind, but once you cracked a good joke, she was fine. I had to be careful of

her though, she looked like she could turn back on you any moment. She was quite pretty, I guess, but not stunning. She had platinum hair and a mix between a diamond and oval

face. No one would say that her face was fleshy, because it was really angular, and she had **just **the right chin to stick up in the air. I couldn't say she was proud, she was more of

dignified. Not sophisticated, I just couldn't place it. Although I didn't show it, she intimidated me. She had the palest blue eyes you'd ever seen, the kind that would snap to frigid

ice if you angered her. She was stick thin, but looked perfectly healthy, and from what I could see from her legs and arms, there were many hard rings of muscle around them. I'd

have to watch my back.

They seemed perfect for each other, all in all. However, when I mentioned that, they looked astounded by what I'd said. I didn't see why though. I was certain Jodie liked him,

from the way she kept sneaking glances when she thought neither of us was watching her. And the way, that she kept glaring at me when I turned my head. I could feel her

contempt some of the time. Other times, I could feel her pleasure. You see, what they didn't know, was that I had a gift. Not one that was terribly important, but still a gift. I could

sense people's mood as if they were tangible. That was why I wanted to come here to work. I wanted to see the mood of the dragons as well. I needed to find out if they were on

our side, or on the Dark Lord's. I had heard rumors in Greece that the Dark Lord was trying to lure the dragons to his side, by promising them unicorn meat, and I needed to know

if that was the truth or not. Not because I was about to help the Ministry, no, not when they dismissed me as abnormal when I revealed my gift to them, and isolated me. No, not to

help them. I wanted to find out; so that I knew that the wizarding world was in danger. If they were, then I'd contemplate helping them, but for now, they weren't getting anything

out of me.

So, as we hiked through the trees and plants, it was no mere walk in the park for me, in more ways than one. I tried to sense the mood of the general surroundings, but the signals

were all disrupted by Jodie's disdain and Charlie's fatigue. I caught a slight whiff of Dark Magic in the area, and fear shot through me like a dart. I knew the risk I was running here;

if the Dark Lord ever found out that I was nearby, I was literally a sitting duck. His Death Eaters, from what I'd heard, were extremely powerful and would have no trouble

capturing me. I mentally held my breath, afraid that someone could jump out of here at any moment. I wondered with concern if my father was alright. All alone in England, he was

vulnerable to any attacks, and he being a Squib did not make anything better. I felt that sickening sense of dread when I thought that no one could protect him there.

Finally, we reached the building, and I was amazed by it. There were large slabs of stones tiles, and wooden beams near the windows, which were made of mildly tinted glass, just

the way she liked it. For a place so far out from civilization, this state-of-the-art building was made to impress. At least, for me. I wolf-whistled under my breath, and Charlie

laughed at me. Of course, who wouldn't expect that? I mean, he probably saw it a thousand times, and for someone to be astounded by it would be simply silly. We walked a little

more, coming to a stop in front of a large wooden door.

I held a breath, ready to begin my new future, in a place unknown to me, and mystery laced with danger lurking about.

**Alright, I know, I know, that doesn't even COUNT as a chapter. Never mind, I needed a prologue for the Dark Side, so yeah. And I can't hold it in any longer…**

**REVIEW! Bye!**


	5. Slippery Slides

**A/N: Hi guys, I have a new goal.** **I'm trying to publish at least one chapter per two days, and that's really quite alright right now, until my workload starts piling on. **

**I'm having my holidays now, so I'd better write more first! If you guys EVER catch me slacking, please, please, please yell and shout at me until I work up to date. **

**I'm sure some would be happy to do so…**

**Now, to thanks the reviewers, or reviewer, Do You Know Emily Davison, I know, your name has been mentioned so many times, THANKS! Don't worry about not **

**reviewing for every chapter…just don't give it up completely! Haha. For the rest of the world, this chapter is in Charlie's point of view, and I know the sequence is **

**starting to get boring, but I need to do a long chapter. Then, Jodie and all the less important characters will come into play and of course, with the protagonists as **

**well.**

Chapter 5: Slippery Slides

Charlie Weasley

We walked into the building, after signing our names on the piece of enchanted parchment at the front door. It only allowed employees to enter, but visitors coming **with **employees

were accepted without question as well. Jodie and I got in easily, but Laurie had to go through a whole lot more trouble, since she was neither a visitor, nor an employee. We

solved that quickly by claiming she was a visitor, then after entering the building, we would clarify any doubts by seeing the manager.

And so we did. We briskly made our way to the manager's office, and Jodie knocked on his door. Laurie looked slightly dazed, and kept staring at odd places, like the corner of a

wall, or the scaffolding on the ceiling. I wondered briefly, full of fear, if she's been hit with the Imperius curse, and that would cause so much danger to all of us. But I quickly

dismissed that absurd impression, since she had been so lively during our walk back. Just to make sure though, I stared at her eyes, inspecting them, seeing if they were glassy and

dull, but they seemed bright and fully alert, so I didn't think any more about it. Although I appeared a little blur, I was actually monitoring everybody's movements carefully. I could

tell that Jodie hated Laurie's guts. It didn't matter what she said or did, I was mistaken previously; Jodie spoke to Laurie with a malicious slight turn of her lip, the way she did when

she wanted a person to be hexed to China. I just hoped that arguments did not boil up during work. Laurie…Laurie seemed like a very intelligent person, and I knew she'd be a

great asset to this line of work, but I worried about her ability to cooperate with the other colleagues. She seemed convivial and able to get along with anybody, but with a group of

slightly rowdy and fun-loving men? That might be a problem. Everyone in this place took their work seriously though, but once Laurie got into the spirit of teasing, would she be able

to drag herself out to do proper work? That was a question only the future would answer.

By the time my musing came to an end, the Manager (lazy oaf that he was) yelled for us to come right in. The three of us sauntered in, with a loyal trunk hovering somewhere behind

on of us. I recoiled slightly in disgust when I saw the increasingly huge belly protruding from the top of the wooden desk. The owner of the object of my repugnance stood up, and

boomed at us. I hated him, but loved the job and asked to stay.

"Charlie ol' mate! Nice to see you here again. And the lovely lady Jodaphine…" his voice reduced to a coo at the last bit, grabbed Jodie's hand, preparing to slobber all over it. I

mentally shuddered. Jodie snatched her hand back at the last moment, causing the Manager to kiss his own hand. I could hear Laurie stifle a laugh, and I grinned slightly. Laurie had

the infectious laughter to make you snicker when she did. The Manager recovered quickly and straightened up again. His eyes widened when he saw Laurie. My eyes narrowed;

what lewd ideas did he have now? Then, his thick fleshy lips curled into a mock-charming smile, which looked more like a grimace than anything. I heard Laurie give a slightly muted

gasp of horror, but then she arranged her features into a stone-cold mask, void of emotion, and held her head high. At that moment, I saw how collected she was, how beautiful and

I admired her.

"Why, why, Charlie, why didn't you introduce me to this delightful lady? I'm sure no eye could have missed her…" His piggish eyes wandered up and down her body, raising an

eyebrow and winked at her suggestively. I heated up, furious with the Manager. How **dare **he insult someone so badly! I could tell that Jodie had the exact sentiments, her hand

clenched, and her jaw quivering with anger.

"Look, Mr. Manager. I **refuse** to work for someone with bawdy intentions, so you either stop right now, or I'm walking out of that door," Laurie pointed a long, lean finger at the

front door. "And don't tell me that you don't need workers, because you were practically lapping up my particulars on the floo network. Are we clear on this?" Laurie finished

triumphantly, quirking an eyebrow. Jodie and I were awed and dumbstruck with her performance. No one ever dared to openly defy the Manager with words, not even Jodie. I felt

a grin threatening to split my face, but I froze it in fear of the Manager spotting it. He appeared pallid and sweat beads were rolling down his face, but he'd always prided himself on

not losing his cool, so he wiggled a bit in his roller-chair, and leered at her.

"Oh of course, Miss. I think we understand each other perfectly. You start work here then, Charlie, give her room 1319, and show her the campus. She'll start tomorrow at 8 and

at the Playground," the Manager spoke without taking his offensive eyes off her chest, handed me the keys to the room, by which time I was trembling in vehemence. I could do

nothing but nod and instruct Laurie to follow me, with Jodie behind Laurie, glaring heatedly at the Manager. We marched to the door, refusing to look back at him. I'd already

pushed open the door when he called again. We immediately stiffened.

"Oh and Miss Sugar Honey, just so you know, I like my women hot. And…feisty…"he let the words slide off his gruesome tongue, wiggling his eyebrows wickedly, while grinning.

The three of us fought hard to suppress our wrath, and I felt a hard push from the back, so I strode out of there, with my companions following close behind.

The minute we were out of the Manager's earshot, Laurie started ranting and raving, and for once, I saw that Jodie was hanging on to her every word, furiously adding in her own

piece as well.

"Who does he think he is?" "Pouncing on innocent women like tha-" "He's so sickening!" "How **dare **he treat us like that!" "I just want to punch him and…" "Yeah I **know**…

measly piece of Flobberworm!" "I've half a mind to feed him to the dragons," "Merlin knows it'll suit their diets, he's putrid enough," "Did you see his belly?" "He might as well be

pregnant." "I hate that idiot." "Me too! If he thinks he can treat us like dirt, that camel-faced knock-kneed Hippogriff waste is about to go **down**."

After they nearly ran out of steam, I let out an amused laugh, just listening to them made me feel so much better, especially Laurie's comments, which ended up to be the last one.

The two livid ladies turned on me, demanding to know what was so 'damned' funny. Between snorts, I managed to explain that I'd never heard someone use such creative phrases

before. They realized what I was talking about, and they started cracking up as well. And just like that, from an irate trio, we morphed to an amused one. We ran up the carpeted

stairs, since Laurie's room was only a level above, not far from the ground floor. The rooms were pretty spacious, since we usually needed a lot of comfort after taming and training

the dragons. There were two roommates living together in a room, and the arrangement was such that two girls were together, then the next room had to males, then two females in

the next, and so on and so forth, the counterpart gender in alternate rooms. When we entered Laurie's room, I found that Laurie's roommate had decorated the room very

tastefully. We fell silent at the sight. Finally, I worked up my voice.

"Right…urm, we'll just go down and you can get used to your room and your roommate, if she's here right now. I still need to explain to you all the different rooms and places on

the campus. Take a shower, a short nap, grab something to eat maybe, and come and meet me at the Playground at…" I checked my Muggle wristwatch which I'd bought in Egypt

and could work on something called batteries. The time was 11:03 am. I noticed that Laurie had one on her wrist as well, and anyway, she had the clock on the wall. "Meet me at

the Playground at 12:45. It's about a five minutes walk from here. Just walk straight and turn right, then left. You'll see this huge piece of land with different equipment, just wait

there for Jodie and I. If anything, my room is a level above yours, one room to the left of 5the one directly above yours." I finished the rather tedious arrangements quickly, and was

preparing to head out to give Laurie some space, who looked really lost and still trying to understand the jumbled mess. Just as we were about to open the door to exit the room,

the doorknob turned to reveal a strawberry blonde-haired girl. Mileana, not a bad roommate.

"Hey Charlie, what are you doing in my room? How'd get in? No wonder I heard voices." She grinned and shook her hair out of her face. I turned back to find Laurie next to me.

"Hi! My name's Laurie and I am your new roommate, nice room!.." I smiled; looked like they'd get along. I squeezed past them and left with Jodie. We grinned at each other; at

least we wouldn't be seeing Laurie coming to us with bruises and cat scratches anytime soon. I'd forgotten to mention that in the job, she'd be reporting to me since I was one of the

Group Elders, which was a rank above her own, which was a 'Group Helper'. The names were disgusting, but I couldn't do anything to change them, since the Manager thought

they reminded him of a Muggle camp he went to last time. Probably a camp for slobs, since that would be the only camp he would **actually** fit in. Now was not the time to wonder

about him, Merlin knew I spent too much time around him already. I was hot, sticky and sweaty...what else could I do but...

Off to the showers!

**A/N: So! How was that? I HATED the Manager, but I had to have a little disgust for someone. Urgh...I loathed writing the Manager, did he seem gruesome? I **

**thought so. Anyway, try to tell me what you think about this chapter. This chapter was not the longest. I know that you can't decide which side Jodie is on, the 'I **

**HATE LAURIE' side or the 'I LIKE LAURIE' side, but that's how it is in real life isn't it? You'll never know your true friends or foes until danger appears, which **

**will happen later on...**

**Signing off,**

**persona-alacarte**


	6. Fashionista La Vista

**A/N: Okay, I know I have not been updating for quite a few days, or you could say about a week, but I'm back again I guess. I think that it's a little difficult to **

**keep updating now, since I have a lot more activities compared to last time, and perhaps the most important reason is that…I've grown addicted to _reading _not **

**_writing _fanfiction again! And worse, Fanfiction went wild on my computer, and I couldn't post for like a week! Sorry! Never mind, here I come with chapter 6!**

Chapter 6: Fashionista La Vista

Laurelle Kaye

Wow. Just, purely wow. I mean, even **I **couldn't have thought of a design like that. Not bragging that I'm creative or anything, but I always fancied myself as a positively artistic

person. But this…this was just pure genius. I stared in amazement at the room around me. This was to be my permanent home for quite a while, and I was affirmative that it was

going to be time well spent to try to coax my roommate to leak some of her creative juices over to me.

I turned in a small circle, my mouth open in a similarly 'O' shaped way. I gawked at the cushy designs splayed around the room, and I could tell Jodie and Charlie weren't immune

to its charm, from their astounded looks written all over their faces.

The first thing that caught my eye was the pure white table that screamed for attention the minute somebody walked into the room, regardless of who it was. The table was folded in

a Jet Plane style origami, and looked as if it were made of metal. There was a vase of red roses placed carefully in the centre of the two wings, and the scarlet shone like spilt blood

against the blinding white. I shook my head slightly, dazed at the colors, while only half listening to Charlie's words, in which I only took in the major details, something about

meeting him at twelve forty-five at the Playground. Not like I knew where that was, but I could ask later, as I ignored Charlie spout off information about how to get there. For

now, I just wanted to enjoy the view. Then, I took in her side of the room. Clearly she had known somebody would be coming to stay, as she had put in large black pipes with

white insides up, such that it created a 'holey' barrier between her bed and the rest of the room. The classic look however, was altered into a chic style piece of furniture when she

had hung different colored clothes to cover the holes. There was forest green, sapphire blue, scorching orange, auburn and many other colors. When I looked closely though, I saw

that these articles were actually stuff that could be used! Like the cream yellow cloth was actually a face towel and another black-sprinkled-with-sparkles one was actually a bath

towel folded in half. Because she had discreetly (and really creatively) covered her bed through the pipes, I couldn't see the rest of the room in that direction, but then I came to

wonder were the bathroom was. Just as I was spinning in circles (**really slowly though, I'm not a complete idiot!), **I heard the door being flung open, so I naturally whirled in

that direction, and a strawberry-blonde came tumbling in. Well, not really **tumbling **in, but anyway, she entered the room. I saw her fire off questions towards Charlie, and I didn't

bother to pay attention, still surveying the room in awe. Then, something told me that the conversation was about to turn towards me, so I stepped forward, and just as Charlie

turned backwards to look for me, I smiled at the girl and stuck out my hand, saying, "Hi, my name's Laurie and I'm your new roommate, nice room!" At that point, Charlie and

Jodie left silently, presumably to leave us to have some 'girl talk'. We watched the pair of them leave, and there was a pregnant pause between us, one of only slight awkwardness,

before she broke it.

"Cool, you seem like a nice person, mine's Mileana, and come on, sit down, my legs are getting tired and you've been standing longer than I have!" She exclaimed, while leading

me past the black pipes and into her own 'room'. It was more like a division of our room, but her space looked so cozy that I was impressed by it. Because of the cloths, the wall

facing the pipes had a spectrum of colors reflected on them. It was slightly shadier, and since she had used a piece of cream cloth with dangling beads to cover a large window in

front of us, the little enclosed space seemed very private and beckoning. To add to the atmosphere, Mileana had placed a one-seater sofa-like thing which seemed a lot like a

splash of crimson paint molded into a lazing chair shape in the corner, so it jazzed up the ambience. Next to the chair was her bookshelf, but it wasn't an **ordinary **bookshelf, not

that one would have **expected **one after looking at all these ingenious ideas. It was made of glass, framed with steel. The whole chunk of glass was divided into strips vertically by

**more **glass, and metal horizontally, so that the rectangles formed was _just _enough to slide a book. However, Mileana had taken that design and turned it into her own by only lining

the books in the middle, such that it created a one-two-one-two book pattern, which made it look so contemporary. I chuckled in mortification, and I thought **I **did pretty

respectable art. I looked around for her bed, but couldn't find one. I frowned, puzzled. Turning to her, I looked at Mileana, who had been silent all this while, doubtfully. She

seemed to realize the 'problem' and in her loud voice, replied.

"Oh yes! You're probably wondering where the bed is, hey? Yeah, everybody does. You see, it's a little cramped here, and so I don't really use a bed, but there's a particular spot

here in the carpet," I glanced own at the carpet, which seemed to be a furry, ticklish brown layer of fur, "which is deeper but a little firmer than the rest of the carpet? Yeah, so I

sleep there. It's quite comfortable actually." I gaped at her; who would have such a brilliant idea of having a slight hole in the carpet, suitable for sleep and walking? This girl was

probably a part-time genius. Wait, forget part-time, she did it unconsciously, it's now full-time. I was absolutely willing to continue to marvel at her room, but Mileana broke my

train of thoughts.

"Hey Laurie, you want to just chill out for a bit? You know, sit here, and drink some stuff and talk? It's really hot today, and since it's a Sunday, we don't have work. I can show

you around this place, it's pretty big, might get lost." Mileana looked quite eager to sow me the ropes, so I agreed with no hesitation. She got up from her curled spot in the red

sofa, and walked over to a little area, one of the small holes not covered by the carpet. She reached downwards, and poked her fingers through two holes. I stared at her, intrigued.

What other tricks did she have up her sleeve? She yanked it out, and with a billow of mist, I saw a wooden box with a protruding handle in Mileana's hand. Peering inquisitively at

it, I asked her with undisguised curiosity.

"What is that? It came out of the ground!"

She laughed and heaved the wooden container onto the carpet, where I quickly crawled over and touched the cool surface of it. The woody scent quickly spread in the air, and

every time I breathed, I inhaled it.

"No, no! It didn't come out of the **ground**! We're on the second floor here, to get to the ground; we'd have to puncture the ceiling of the rooms below! This is just from a little hole

I cleared in the cement. Basically, I line the sides of the hole with lots of ice, and make sure that they can't melt, with, of course, a simple spell. Then, I put the container in with

drinks, so that I can keep the drinks cold, without taking out space! It's the same concept with my wardrobe. Here I'll show you. You can take a drink first though, you must be

thirsty. Help yourself!" She pushed the cart towards me. I quickly chose a bottle called Eagles' Cranberry Juice (I had no idea what that was) and raised it in thanks. To my

surprise, the bottle was made of thick glass. No wonder Mileana had such a hard time carrying it up. Unscrewing the bottle, I tipped it towards my mouth and drank it. Shuddering

from the sourness, I hoped that Mileana didn't see that; I didn't want her to think that I didn't like her drink. Fortunately, she'd already turned back, and was now tugging on a

metal handle which I didn't see before. Pulling it laboriously, her face contorted with the effort. Quickly setting down my drink, I jumped up to help her. Both of us yanked hard at

the handle, and she chuckled somewhat nervously.

"I guess it's time to take out some clothes!" she muttered, when the full thing emerged from the hole. My jaw dropped. Literally dropped. And she was right about her previous

statement; clear her wardrobe was an understatement. The 'thing' was a giant rope tied in a lasso style, a ring at the top and the rest of the frayed rope trailing down to the bottom,

which looked suspiciously like it'd been hit with the stupefy spell to turn it rigid. On it, at least a hundred hangers circled it, using it as a source of support. And guess what? On each

of the hangers draped at least an article of clothing. Mileana was a fashion goddess.

Laughing at my astounded look, she shrugged modestly. "I guess a lady's got to have her clothes! After all, I need to live up to the reputation I was named after!" I nodded in

understanding. Her name, Mileana, was probably derived from the Italian city Milan, which was a tourist hotspot for their legendary fashion sense. Yes, and live up to her name she

did. I trailed my fingers against the smooth and scratchy materials of the fabrics, still trying to work my voice up. So…many…colors…It was incredible! Sequins, silk, glitter,

sparkles…**everything**!

"Holy Merlin, where did you **get **all this??!! Do you own a shop or something? This is so incredible!" I practically yelled in her ear. Seemed that when I got my voice back, it was

literally a blast. With a soft "whoa!" she leapt back, chortling at my delight. Feeling the carpet, she moved her hand around, like a blind person would, until she hit something that

sounded a little hollower compared to the rest of the carpet. I assumed that she was looking for her 'bed'. She sank down into the surface in a graceful move that I was positive no

one else could master. She crossed her legs to her chest, so that she looked like a little ball. I only looked at her properly now. I mean, I was so overwhelmed by her room that I

kind of ignored the creator herself.

Mileana was definitely a classic beauty. I mean, she had (as I mentioned previously) strawberry-blond hair, but I could see slight streaks of-pale pink if I looked closely. She didn't

wear it long, like I supposed that people like her would, but had it cut short till it reached the nape of her neck. She also had the typical sharp nose that I had, and a sprinkle of

freckles across it, something I was sure she wasn't very proud of. Her eyebrows were carved into really high arches that perfectly accentuated her eyes, which weren't as

spectacular as the rest of her face. They weren't big, just normal, and although they were the ordinary brown, they sparkled with life. Her mouth was curved downwards, which

kind of gave it a pout. This, however, was the kind of pout that made it seem cute, not overly childish. It could get on my nerves on a bad day though, I was practically sure of that.

Today, however, it was tolerable I suppose, and mildly amusing. Alright, enough about this fixation on her mouth.

"Hey Mileana, I was just wondering, do we have a toilet to ourselves or is there like a common one for everyone?" I suddenly blurted out, coming out of my daze. She looked

slightly startled and her hand froze in a gesture above her head. Oh crud. She was probably saying something and I cut her off…Not a good start. Anyway, she stared at me like I

was a little out of the loop, but perked up once she answered me cheerily.

"Oh yes! Sorry, I didn't tell you just now, should have told you earlier! Anyway, you'd better come with me," she stuck out a hand to haul me up from my comfy position on the

carpet, "it's a _tad _bit complicated." She wrinkled her nose, as I stretched contentedly, then grabbed Mileana's hand and pulled myself up.

We left her-no-**our **room, and walked just a little to the left, till we reached the door of the room next to ours. It seemed that this room was a little smaller compared to ours and the

one on the other side. Just glimpsing at the whole row of rooms, I saw that the pattern was repeated. I glanced questioningly at Mileana, but she seemed pretty confident of what

she was doing. I shrugged and left her to do whatever she wanted and deemed necessary to do. After all, she was the one who was already familiar with this place, and I'd be

damned if I were to upset her, since she had really good opportunities to harass me if I provoked her. Mileana rapped on the door smartly, a certain rhythm, long-short-short long.

No one answered, so she smiled, and securely pushed open the door. I followed her in without a complaint.

As we entered the room, I was sufficiently awed by it. It was not as fanciful and creative as Mileana's designs, but more like something I would have been able to craft. It was

painted a dark red color, with undefined swirls in different hues of blue and green. It was elegant, with snowflakes hanging from the ceiling. There were the essentials, like the toilet

bowl and sink, as well as a bathtub. However, the sink was just purely breathtaking. It had shards of what seemed like liquid silver trapped in a black top, and they looked like they

were struggling to get out. As I traced the outline of a shard buried just directly under my finger (I thought I could feel its surface), the light winked at me, and as I tranquilly smiled at

it, I took a closer look.

I jumped back in shock, face going pale. Holy Merlin, what was **that** about?No, I must have been dreaming it; it wasn't possible. Mileana took one look at my face, and seemed

like she understood my fright. I blocked out her words which were now flowing as slickly as oil. She said something about it being from the Mirror of Erised, and that Charlie

brought it back from England. I vaguely heard her mention that though the shards showed images, she really had no idea what they were. Charlie refused to tell her, and warned her

simply to-. What Charlie warned her, I would never live to know, and I didn't want to know as well. For the second time in less than an hour, I interrupted her.

"What did you see?" I was still dazed, and forming the words was much harder than I thought it would be. She stared at me for a second, like a puzzle she simply couldn't figure

out, before answering, chuckling somewhat self-consciously.

"Oh me? I know it's kind of stupid, but I saw myself owning this large clothes company, which of course I was President of, and everyone wanted to buy my clothes, just like I

always wanted. I know, it's kind of dumb, huh?" She glanced at me sheepishly, as though searching for an answer. I stopped listening though; I was sure I was expected to give an

answer something along the lines of it being perfectly believable and that she could definitely achieve it, but I didn't. She said that she was the President…that was possible in the

future…Could the Mirror of Erised be foretelling the truth? No, no way. It could never happen, for I knew the circumstances would never allow it, as well as the person himself

would never agree or even fathom about it. I knew that. Because I saw Josh. I swayed on the spot, while my head spun with memories…

_Flashback_

_"Josh! Stop it, you **know **that I hate that!" I giggled like a little child, as Josh hoisted me up from the waist and swung me across his shoulder so that my face got the _

_full impact of his back crashing into my nose. I inhaled deeply, yet discreetly. He smelt of cinnamon and tomatoes. I loved that smell, and my lips curled into his flesh. _

_Pretending that I wasn't affected by him, I smacked him playfully, and kicked my legs in the air, protesting all the while, although I really loved his attention. I tickled _

_him at the waist, although I knew that it wouldn't daunt him from carrying me. He wasn't ticklish, and this was simply a ritual that we both loved. We would bind as _

_two friends who cherished each other. _

_He ran down the grassy hill we were standing on, and to the edge of the water of the lake near the hill. I felt every thud when his feet hit the ground, and could feel my _

_body bump every time. It was bliss, to be playing with someone you loved and not have a care in the world. I knew though, that my affection was not simply of friends, _

_but of more, of craving and **needing **more._

_"Relle…you know we're at the edge of water…I think I'm stumbling a little, you're too heavy…" He arched his eyebrow wickedly, and I could feel the vibrations on his _

_back when he laughed. I panicked a little, I was sure of what he was implying, and the idea wasn't pleasing at all._

_"Josh please! No! Come on, I'll give you a free Chocolate Frog when we get back to my house, an Acid pop maybe? I'll play hockey with you for an hour! I swear! Two _

_hours!" I pleaded, my arms and legs flailing. I sensed that he was trying hard to control his excitement. I subtly rolled my eyes; his new craze was hockey._

_"Four hours, or it's off!" he announced triumphantly. I whimpered slightly; being abused for four hours was **not **a charming thought._

_"Three." I bargained, hoping he'd agree._

_"Deal." Yes! Victory was mine! Hallelujah! I whooped, and he chuckled, setting me down on the grass. I immediately sank down into the vegetation, relishing the solid _

_ground. Lying down flat on the grass, I stared at him. Josh was sitting beside me, his arms supporting him while he sat normally, but with his legs stretched out._

_End Flashback_

"Laurie? LAURIE? Are you still here with me?" Mileana waved a hand in my face, staring at me concernedly. I snapped back to reality, the ecstasy of my recollection gone in an

instant. In a way, I was thankful for Mileana for stopping me from continuing. I knew that the next part would have taken my whole body's energy to stop myself from crying. Even

now, I hoped that there were no lingering tears in my eyes.

"Huh? Oh sorry, just…I had some relationship problems, and yeah, sorry." In my heart, I was laughing mockingly at myself. Relationship problems were a real understatement. I

saw Mileana nod hesitantly at the corner of my eye, probably confused as to why my 'relationship problems' would be in any way linked to her dream fantasy.

"Okay, I can see that you're a little tired now, must be because of the time differences. It's okay, let's go back and rest." I noticed that she carefully avoided the fact that it was

blatantly obvious that the moisture in my eyes had nothing to do with fatigue. Tactful. Too tactful. I nodded absent-mindedly, only half-listening to her; the rest of my mind drowned

in reminiscence. I threw a glance at my watch, and saw that it was only 11:20. I sighed.

"Yes, let's go back."

When we hopped back to our room, I didn't bother to decorate my room or unpack first. Taking out a black cloth from my suitcase, I wearily draped it across a wooden rod that I

had magicked to act as a curtain hanger. Mileana poked her head in. I psychologically moaned out really loud. This girl couldn't take a hint for nuts.

"Hi, um, you want to just rest? I'll just wake you later? At what time?" She titled her head as she asked.

"Just, just about 12:30 will do, if you're still in? Thanks so much." I replied gratefully, maybe this girl wasn't just about completely ignorant. Maybe I really lucked out in the

roommate department. She nodded, and grinned a chirpy smile, before her head disappeared from my view.

I exhaled noisily. Time to myself. Time to think of **him**. And time to remember how I embarrassed myself.

_Flashback_

_I played with the peacock quill in my hand, twirling a strand of my long hair around the tough surface of the feather. Looking up from my favorite book, **Intricacies of **_

_**the Unknown**, I beamed at Josh over the deep purple binding of the book. He didn't see the look I shot at him; he was too busy re-writing an article for the monthly _

_magazine, **Natural Nuances of Nature**. Sure, the name was a little lengthy, and it seemed so humiliating to write an article in it, but I could tell Josh loved it. And _

_because he did, I did too. I loved the way his eyes would light up when he talked about how we had to save the forest because there were so many fascinating animals _

_there. "It's incredible, Relle. You should see it Relle, you should see it." He would gush, as he earnestly nodded. I would laugh, and then hug him._

_I tapped him on the foot with my shoe, and then instantaneously feigned innocence by looking away. I didn't get to see the look on his face, but then I was sure he _

_wasn't fooled. Josh was always one of the smartest wizards I'd ever known. When I finally dared to glance back, I saw that he had a tiny grin on his face. I made him _

_smile! The thought registered in my mind, and though it had happened many times, I was still elated that I could make him grin. I tapped him again, but this time, he _

_was ready. His left foot pressed hard onto mine after I prodded his right one, so that my foot was sandwiched between his. My face grew hot. I should not have gotten _

_myself into this mess; now how was I supposed to explain my discomfiture to him? He would have a field day knowing that yet another girl liked him. Josh was the kind _

_of suave and polished gentleman that mothers would delight in knowing, and girls would throw themselves at his feet simply for him to acknowledge them. He'd _

_definitely laugh and leave me._

_Prior to my belief, he took my hand gently, and traced invisible patterns on it, not even looking at me. My heart thudded. Surely this was too good to be true? He _

_couldn't possibly think of me in that way too? I stared searchingly at his eyes, knowing that they would tell me the truth. And tell the truth they did…_

_End Flashback _

Against my will, as I fought against the tides of exhaustion, I sank into a deep and unwelcoming fit of slumber…

**A/N: So!! That took me ages to write! It's probably the longest chapter I've ever written in m entire life!! Incredible…Anyway, I'm kind of tired, and _this stupid _**

**_computer is killing and frying my eyes!!!_ Therefore, I shall now sign off, and Tata! Review-o, people-o's!**


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